Man denies courtroom escape bid

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A man who allegedly attempted to escape from custody and threatened police officers in Magistrates’ Court during an earlier trial pleaded not guilty to multiple offences yesterday.

Wakeem Philpott, 17, was charged in Magistrates’ Court with escaping custody, causing wilful damage and two counts of uttering threatening words to police officers.

The prosecution told the court that Mr Philpott was in Magistrates’ Court 4 where he was on trial for a burglary charge on Tuesday. He was told that he was being remanded into custody for the night. Mr Philpott became belligerent and ran out of the defendant’s dock, heading for the door to the courtroom. He damaged a gate inside the courtroom and the outer door.

Once Mr Philpott reached the hallway, he was forcibly detained by police and security guards and brought back to the defendant’s dock in the courtroom. The court heard that Mr Philpott said to the police officers: “Let me go. When I get out I’m going to shoot you all in the head. I’ve got a bullet for all you cops.”

According to the prosecution Mr Philpott then tried to escape from the defendant’s dock again by climbing over the surrounding glass wall, and had to be tackled to the floor by police officers. He then allegedly said: “Let me go, when I get out I’m going to take a knife and cut your throat from ear to ear.”

Magistrate Tyrone Chin ordered that the defendant be remanded into custody. Mr Philpott will appear in Magistrates’ Court for trial on November 16.

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